Mind My Paintwork!
by DonaldDouglasandToby6
Summary: While Thomas and Percy is still being worked on, I'm going to fill in the space with some adventures about the Pack. In this story, Isobella has to deal with muddy roads while delivering coal to Ulfstead Castle. (Not an adaptation of "Mud, Glorious Mud" by the way.)


Isobella is always cautious when being in a dirty area; she doesn't want to get her sparking paint dusty.

One day, she was avoiding Kelly because he was carrying some dusty stone at Ffarquhar Quarry.

"Mind my paintwork!" she snapped, "You'll get my paint dirty, and that would never do!"

Kelly simply rolled his eyes.

"Don't ignore me!"

The crane just ignored her and continued towards Toby's trucks.

Toby frowned as Kelly lowered the stone into a truck.

"Is Isobella really always like that?" asked Toby.

"Unfortunately, yes. She never stops boasting about her paint." replied Kelly.

"Ah, I see... Does she ever get into trouble for it?"

"She can be a bit... fussy, but she means well." Kelly said.

Toby smiled.

"That's good to hear then. I best be off."

The tram engine rang his bell and puffed away with his trucks, towards the harbour.

Jack scooped up some rock, but a few pebbles fell off and bounced off of Isobella's cab.

"Ouch! You might've given me a scratch in my lovely paint!" "Sorry." replied Jack and the front loader scurried off elsewhere.

Kelly winced as Isobella's cheeks flushed.

"Get back here!" Just as she was about to chase Jack, Miss Jenny drove up.

"*ahem*"

Kelly and Isobella looked to find Miss Jenny walking up to Isobella.

"Isobella, if you'r'e going to stop playing games, I have an assignment for you. There's going to be a big freeze tonight. So I need you to deliver some coal to Ulfstead Castle. They're running a bit low on coal. You better start now, just so they can be ready."

"Yes, m'am." sighed Isobella as Miss Jenny set off to find Jack.

"What's wrong?" asked Kelly, "Is the job not important enough?"

Isobella scowled, offended.

"No, it's got plenty of importance, thank you very much. It's just... I'm worried about the conditions of the road..."

"Conditions?" Kelly quizzed. "Yes. Just imagine... All the cracks...potholes...mud...oooh..." "Just be strong and you'll get through it."

"I hope so," Isobella whimpered as she chuffed off.

Soon, Isobella drove onto the road, and started off to the road, up to the Coaling Plant.

She was very cross as she quickly found something to nitpick.

"This road's disgusting! I wish Buster could repair these potholes! Not to mention all of the dust! It'll spoil my paint for sure," Isobella groaned, "And I just got a repaint a week ago; such a waste!"

The lorry drove on for a while, but she winced as she saw a puddle of water that a previous lorry delivering water had split.

"Can we please go around it?" Isobella begged.

"We might get stuck in the mud." the driver explained, "Look all around this road. Nothing but mud."

Isobella looked to find that her driver was right.

She cringed.

"I...see..."

Isobella shut her eyes as she slowly drove through the puddle, and raced away ss soon as she had past it.

At last, Isobella arrived at the Coaling Plant.

James was there, taking on coal at the hopper.

As soon as James saw Isobella's yellow livery, he seemed impressed.

"My, your paint stands out!" said James, "Almost as well as mine!"

Isobella was flattered.

"Why, thank you! I try to make it as bright as possible." replied the steam lorry.

"Good. Just hope it stays like that. On this island it's hard to keep anything clean." and James puffed away.

Isobella was curious as some workmen finished loading her.

"What did he mean by that?" she wondered.

"Well, we can't worry about that right now, Isobella. We're loaded."

Isobella bit her lip as she set off for Ulfstead.

As the steam lorry made her way, Isobella was worried about what James had said.

"What did he mean? Does Sodor always have dirty vehicles? Ugh, I'd hate for that to happen... That'd be awful! Simply awful!"

A wind blew against Isobella, and some dirt in the air landed on her.

"Oh no!" she cried in desperation.

Soon Isobella came to a stop sign at an intersection and stopped.

She had to turn left to go to the castle, but it was covered in mud.

When the steam lorry saw this, she was appalled by the mess.

"No way!" she fumed and refused to move.

Her driver was cross and argued with her.

"We must be on time," he explained, "Do you want Ulfstead Castle to freeze into an icicle?"

"Well... no." stuttered Isobella, "But I don't want to get dirty either!"

"We must make sacrifices sometimes Isobella. I promise I'll give you a good washdown at the end of the day." the driver said.

Isobella sighed with defeat.

"...alright sir, but only because I'm helping people."

Isobella turned to the left, and right away mud coated her tyres.

"Ugh!" she spluttered as her tyres freely skidded through the mud, but she forced herself onward.

"I must be... useful..." she gagged, but she couldn't help feeling disgusted with herself.

At last, Isobella arrived at the castle, while her cheeks were pink with exhaustion and you could hardly see any yellow paint on her at all.

Most of herself was now coated with brown, slick, mud.

She shuddered violently, hoping nobody would see her. But she had no suck luck; Millie was hauling some tools for the groundskeeper.

She looked to find the now-brown lorry with coal. She started to snicker, then burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Isobella pouted.

"You... you just look so funny! I've been told about your perfect reputation. I suppose il est allé dans le drain! What happened to your perfect record?"

Isobella was very upset.

"Just be happy I got here with your stupid coal." muttered Isobella darkly.

"Oh, but it's not silly," Stephen protested as he steamed alongside Millie, "It'll help keep everyone warm tonight as they burn in the furnaces. Thank you Isobella for a gorgeous job. I understand this may be...difficult for you."

"Yes," Millie agreed, trying not to giggle, "Thank you."

For the first time that day, Isobella felt a bit nice inside.

"You're welcome," she said and she chugged away to get cleaned.

At the washdown, James was getting cleaned after delivering some Sodor Stinky Cheese to market.

"Ugh, that cheese was disgusting!" the red engine sighed, "But luckily these bubbles will clean me off."

Charlie, who was waiting behind him, was rather annoyed. "James, you've been at this place for half an hour. Can't I get a turn?"

"Not yet," James said smugly.

"What if I tell a joke?"

"Then you'll never get a turn."

Isobella drove up, feeling miserable.

James and Charlie stared at the mud.

Then Charlie burst out laughing, while James was cross.

"Wow, you look so...dirty..." Charlie grinned.

"Look at yourself!" spluttered James, "Disgusting!"

Isobella was embarrassed.

"I know I may not look the best, but... I will be cleaned soon..."

"Right..." James scowled, "Not before me."

"My own driver's going to clean me," Isobella explained.

She suddenly realized he wasn't in her cab.

"Where is he anyway?"

Just then, her driver arrived with some news.

"Isobella, we have to go back to the sheds. Ms. Jenny is doing her inspection to make sure everybody's in good order." the driver reported.

"Do I have to? Without being cleaned?" groaned Isobella.

"Yes."

"Oh..." sighed Isobella,

"Ulfstead Castle was bad enough, but this? Nobody will hear the end of it!"

She started to drive away when James snickered.

"Take care, Isobella being dirty!"

Isobella had had enough and dug her wheels into the dirt beside the line.

As she drove away, mud flew up onto James' face, getting him dirty again.

"Hey!"

Charlie giggled as Isobella drove out of sight.

"Isobella, we have to go back to the sheds. Ms. Jenny is doing her inspection to make sure everybody's in good order." the driver reported.

"Do I have to? Without being cleaned?" groaned Isobella.

"Yes."

"Oh..." sighed Isobella, "Ulfstead Castle was bad enough, but this? Nobody will hear the end of it!"

Later, she arrived late back at the sheds for the Pack at Cronk.

"Oh my!" gasped Kelly, "What happened to your paintwork? It looks... erm..."

"...different." finished Ned, giggling.

"And dirty." noted Alfie, "Mud is glorious after all, isn't it? I've always told you!"

Isobella grew red in the face and backed down further into the shed, out of sight.

"Ugh! What a smell!" groaned Byron.

"I don't really mind." grinned Alfie, "But who would've thought Isobella would've done it?"

"Definitely worse than quarry dust!" laughed Jack.

Miss Jenny arrived for her inspection, but she didn't get very far when she saw Isobella and held her nose.

"Isobella, please. Go get cleaned at once!" she ordered kindly.

"Oh, yes. Thank you!" smiled Isobella gratefully and she chugged away as fast as her wheels would let her.

The Pack all laughed at the irony of the situation.


End file.
